《Tartaros》Chapter 8 - Edan
Advertisement
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Sonia asked for the thousandth time. We were walking towards the secret door towards the prison, the one I have seen mom use dozens of times. "What if he won't talk? We don't be sure that he will just start to talk to me or Andi, even if they are really close. We don't know what he's like at all."
I didn't want to show Sonia that I had same fears as her. If there was any truth to what mom and Serena were talking about, he wouldn't talk to anyone. Even if that was the case, it was too late to back down now. We just had to me most charismatic selves we can be. It might be more easy to say than done.
"Don't doubt us. We are not Gorgos. He doesn't have anything to hide from us." Sonia didn't seem to be convinced. I punched her playfully to the shoulder so she would stop biting her nails. "Hey, if he's asshole to us to, I can beat him up."
Sonia laughed loudly. "You are an idiot."
"I am the idiot that is taking you to meet your dad." I grabbed Sonia's hand. At the same time, I looked behind us.
Andi walked behind us in small steps, head down. I wanted to say something nice to her. You could clearly see that the new enviroment wasn't working for her. She looked so lost and scared, looking around like everyone and everything here would kill her.
Other part of me still didn't trust her. I didn't know anything about her except that photo and I didn't want to accept it. I had seen her parents pictures in so many places. In mom's desk, in the memorial paintings, on the day of remembering. I didn't want to think what that meant if the girl behind me was what I thought she was.
Before my thoughts got the best of me, we finally arrived to our destination. In front of us was a giant statue that potrayed a character with three heads. On the foot of that charcter was a screen with numbers and letter. On top of the screen was a three words in big letters: "Who guards you?"
As always, me and Sonia ignored the statue and started to climb up it to get to the roof. We had a spot on there where we sometimes listened when Gorgos talked with the prisoners. Roofs on Tartaros were so close to each other, it was really easy to just chill there and not fall.
I was just about to order Andi to follow us, when the door to the prison opened. Andi stood in front of the screen and looked like she did something wrong. Andi looked at us and trying to get us to answer what she just did.
"How in the- How did you know the password?" I slowly got down on the statue and walked towards Andi who was in a verge of a exsistential breakdown.
"I just answered the question. Hekatonkheiret."
"How in Hades would you know that?"
"Hekatonkheiret were the guards in the myths about Tartaros, in the original Tartaros from the ancient myths. They were three giants that had hunread hands and fifty heads. They were put to guard the giants when Zeus-" Andi went quiet when she noticed I was staring at her. "From books, I guess. I don't know. I have-"
"So, Hekaton, or whatever the name was, seems kind of complicated for a password."
Advertisement
"Password, was 310050, so three things with hundred hands and fifty heads... or something. I wasn't sure on what order the number were, but... I guess I got in on the first time." Girl almost shook in happiness. I was bit annoyed. She seemed to like being smartest person in the room.
I tapped the girl in the back and grabbed her by the shoulders. I looked at the stairs that appeared behind the statue. I had only seen them when I was stalking mom's movements. "Well, in honor of being a smartass, you can be the first person to walk into the prison in Tartaros."
I pushed Andi to walk towards the stairs. Andi tried to stop me but she had a weaker arms than me.
"Why?" Andi sounded angry. It didn't affect me. She was a opposite of scary. I lived with women that could be absolutely terrifying. Andi was a little girl made from marble compared to Sonia, Serena or mom. I don't think Andi could scare even a baby.
"My mom always says that the wisest people should always lead the fight, not the strongest."
"We are not- What?"
"We don't know what's waiting us. I have never gone this route. But now I can, thanks to you." Andi didn't say anything else. She just started to walk up the stairs. Thankfully smart people with horrible social skills are easily convinced to do things.
After we walked couple of minutes, Andi, me and Sonia, who came slowly behind us, walked up to a door with a window. I pushed both girls on the edge of the hallway after I saw two figures on the other side of glass.
"I don't really understand why is it that some Ashphodean doctor is this hard to crack. Are you sure you did all you could?" The voice was weak, but I regonized the talking figure. Leonardo Portelli was a shortish man, that worked as the prison guard, and whose voice was the most annoying thing in the world. He was also big kiss ass to mom. Great.
"You small man, I said this once, so listen to me carefully: If I said, that I can't do anything, it's true. There isn't no one better than me." Other speaker was Basil. I knew it was Basil. I have only met him face to face once but I have heard what he does through the roof. His voice stays in your head to haunt it for a long time. It was like a whisper you could hear in your nightmares. It was a opposite to the horrifying screams Basil could force out of people. He was a torturer, brought here to work from Ashphodea in exchange for pardon of the crimes he did there. Mom didn't like him, but she said sometimes there wasn't any other options than to use him. I guess this was one of these times.
"Yeah, but-"
Basil sighed. "I don't have time for this. The man goes into the shame room. Eurydale's orders. That will make him talk."
"Are the votes already counted? The shame room... Isn't that a bit harsh?"
"We are at war. I am trying to beat it. You can go preach about love and peach to people in Ashphodea." Basil's footsteps sounded like raindrops. "Like I said, I don't have time for this. Take me away."
I prayed that they didn't walk towards us. Thankfully, I heard the men's footsteps going the opposite direction. When it felt like it was safe, I opened the door slowly and walked inside.
Advertisement
Door opened to a small room that had hallways to every place possible. I looked around. Suprisingly, there weren't any cameras around that could spot us. There were only a small desk where Leonardo probably sat.
"So, what's the plan?" Oh yeah, I needed a plan. If I was being honest, I didn't think I could get this far inside. I usually just listened from the cracks on the roof.
Same time I was thinking about something to do, Sonia walked up to Leonardo's desk and opened his very old hologram computer. "Start to look for Tomas. I try to check what kind of security here is. I promise to come after you."
Sonia and Edan looked at each other. I wanted to say something against it, but it was our best plan. I nodded and grabbed Andi by the hand. We ran to one of these hallways.
We looked at empty cells what felt like forever. Finally, after a long while, We found a cell, we heard desperate groans. I was ready rush next to him, but Andi stopped me.
"Should we- We should- How do we do this?" Andi scratched her arm. She looked at the cell where the groan comes from.
"If you want, you could go first. You are the one, who knows him." Andi looked at me with giant eyes. She couldn't talk to her for a moment. After that... she nodded. She nodded and started walking towards the sound. I wanted to order her to get back but it was too late.
"Hey You! You... Hazel's husband! It's Andi!" Andi's voice was shaking. "I came to rescue you."
The howling groans stopped. "Oh, this is such a pathetic technique. Do you really beliave that some kid from home, that I only spoke twice, could make me speak? You are the more stupid than I thought", weak voice of a man came from the same place as the groans.
Andi stopped at the place where the groan came from. "This isn't... I came to rescue you!" Andi looked inside the cage. She... She has been just like a scared little girl the whole time she was here, but this was different. She looked inside the cell like she had seen the monster that haunted her nightmares as a child.
"Don't lie to me, girl! I know the real Andi. She is too weak to do something that would break the rules."
Andi walked a step backwards. "But Hazel- Hazel needs-"
"You are just a grogos sceme to make me to serve them like they are gods. Say to Gorgos that I'm not afraid of them. I have been treated worse than this." The man's voice sounded aggressive.
"I just-" The girl was frozen. I needed to help her.
I walked up to Andi smiling as widely as she could. "I promise this isn't a manipulation thing. We are friends. We want to help you."
My smile faded when I saw the man in the cell. He didn't look at all like in front of the gorgos last night. He didn't even look like a human. He looked like he was made by parts of dead people. All different looking parts of his body was stiched together by a seam that looked rotten. I couldn't move because of fear.
Tomas, or what I thought was Tomas, laughed loudly. "Of course, you are not my saviors. You are kids who wanted to see Tartaro's new freak. Well, here I am. You leaders stripped me my disguise so you have to look at my real face. The face my former wife gave me."
Man crawled towards us. Every step he took, we took one backwards.
"We just saw you and we-" I tried to sound at least somewhat charming but I couldn't. I couldn't even look at him in the eyes.
"Let me guess, mommy and daddy told you not to do something so you did it." Tomas smiled, and it looked like some of the seams were coming off. "Your brains aren't as developed yet so you don't know, yo ureally shouldn't mess with dangerous things. I am a dangerous person, even tough it's not for the reasons I was sentenced with."
"We didn't-" I tried to say something but steps next to me distracted me. Sonia walked up to us. She jad raised her arms but lowered them when she saw we were staring at a cell. I just nodded to her.
"We have not much time. The guard method here is so unnoticable." Sonia freezed just like we were, but this time, Tomas had the same reaction to her than she had to him.
"Anna? They wouldn't..." Now I could see the sad old man he was at the court. "You look just like your mom. Your face... I thought I could never see them again. Do you know who I am?"
Tomas tried touch Sonia but she wouldn't walk close enough. "She can't talk", I said, while walking in the middle of them.
"Of course. How could I forget... " Man went deep into hos thought. Now would be the perfect time to ask questions.
"Why? Why did you- what did you-" Andi opened her mouth. Nothing came out of it but she still opened it.
Then I realized something perfect: I still had the photo Andi gave me. I took the photo out and gave it to the man. "What happened to you?"
Tomas changed. He looked weird. He opened the picture and sighed. "I knew you were here because of that woman, Andi. Hazel..." Tomas gave the picture back to me. "I can't tell you anything here, we don't have much time, but I know how you could get answers."
"How?"
Tomas laughed. It was kind of smug laugh, line we just co firmed his thoughts. "What do you really know about the time before the Grogos reign?"
I didn't know how to respond. I'm sure Serena had taught a lot of things to us in history class. What I remember is Serena and Evalyn discovered something horrible happening inside Tartaros's game show. While trying to tell the audience about it, they were blamed for hundreds of deaths. Then, the war started. I never really listened in class. But that was Serena's side of the story. I wanted a new one. "That's why we are asking you."
"The former leaders of Tartaros, I.C.T.A, were genius. They knew how to record memories. They wanted to see people's experiences like they themselves were experiencing them." His stare was terrifying. "All of the memories they recorded from the people in Tartaros are still in Tartaros. I'm sure of it. Gorgos couldn't detroy them. Find I.C.T.A. and you can find unlimited answers.
Sonia grabbed my hand. "The practising room. We have always thought how they could do those world we practise on. Maybe that's the origin."
"One more thing that you need." Man raide his hand towards us, which made us jump. I did notice quickly what he wanted to show. On his right arm, just above his wrist was a small metal box that had the name "Tomas Henriksson", row of numbers and the codename Pemphredo. Skin around the box looked dead, just like around his seams.
"How is this going to help us?"
Tomas opened the lid of the box and took a card out of it. He put it gently to the ground where Sonia picked it up. "In that you can open the memories. If you need it, my password is Sonias birthday."
"We need to go." Sonia started walking away. I was going to do it too, when Tomas stopped me.
"You look just line your mother but your eyes... I can see who your father is." Fuck. I wanted to ask him so many questions but I couldn't.
"You know who I am?"
"Of course." Tomas smiled and looked at me and Andi. "I could regonize a Roseblood anywhere"
Advertisement
- In Serial54 Chapters
Transient - COMPLETED!
A Fresh Take On Some Of The Most Well-Loved LitRPG Staples - And A Whole New Original World To Explore! Alex is a twenty-something college dropout who's not going anywhere too fast - but not for lack of smarts. When he faces jailtime for using a stolen credit card number, he's given a seedy but interesting alternative: Delve into the virtual reality world of Elderpyre and provide the developers with anonymous playtest data. Things, however, are never that simple - are they? A love letter to the genre as a whole, Transient breathes new life into some old - and, arguably, tired - tropes and staples, and takes them for a wild ride into a fresh, original story. Combine that with a vibrant fantasy setting, a lively cast of characters, and grammar that actually won't make your eyes bleed*, and you got yourself a webnovel that's definitely worth checking out! *The author does not bear any responsibility with respect to breakdowns or damages, including but not limited to those resulting from bad puns, 4th wall breaks, surprisingly dark twists, and the occasional typo. Consider yourself warned.
8 301 - In Serial162 Chapters
The Man Who Killed the First Monster
Jason Park, a man with ambition. At a ripe age of twenty-nine, he took the risk to struck big at the cut-throat world of finance at Wall Street. Like any human in the whole world, money is everything. Yet for him, things didn't happen as he expected. Burnt out and failing another one of his job interviews, he dragged his feet over the sidewalk of New York City. Yet something unexpected happened, a cry for help coming from the dark alley of the city. A city well-known for its two sides of light and dark. He hesitated at first but his morality swayed him. He came to help but what he found only opened a door that he wishes it wouldn't open. He was the first and it wouldn't be the last. From green dollar bills to blue game-like windows. His reliance shifting to the latter. An encounter that will bring forth a New World order. A world hungry for blood, sweat, and tears. Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
8 137 - In Serial9 Chapters
Magical Fraulein and the World Euphonics
The thirteen-year old Fräulein Floret died together with her big brother when their car passed on a land mine. Fortunately for her, she was given a second chance to live in a world filled with magic!What Fräulein didn't expect was meeting her Alternate Universe self, Fraulein Floret.Two years later, the two attends the Magical Academy as twins: one was a gifted prodigy who excelled in the art of magic, the other a failure who took the second last place in the Entrance Examinations.It turned out that our protagonist Fräulein never had any magical talent to begin with. Will Fräulein's trusty knife be enough to survive in a world conspiring against her? A new story about weapons and magic begins!===My first story, I hope you enjoy.
8 154 - In Serial10 Chapters
The Fires Beneath the Sea (A Novel)
Cara’s mother has disappeared. Her father isn’t talking about it. Her big brother Max is hiding behind his iPod, and her genius little brother Jackson is busy studying the creatures he collects from the beach. But when a watery specter begins to haunt the family’s Cape Cod home, Cara and her brothers realize that their scientist mother may not be who they thought she was—and that the world has much stranger, much older inhabitants than they had imagined.With help from Cara’s best friend Hayley, the three embark on a quest that will lead them from the Cape’s hidden, ancient places to a shipwreck at the bottom of the sea. They’re soon on the front lines of an ancient battle between good and evil, with the terrifying “pouring man” close on their heels.One chapter will be posted Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays until all 10 chapters are up. These will be followed by the second book in the series, The Shimmers in the Night.A Junior Library Guild Pick; Kirkus Reviews Best of 2011; Selected for the ABC Best Books for Children Catalog;Locus Notable Books.
8 189 - In Serial10 Chapters
The Cabin
Finding himself stranded in the middle of knowhere with only a cabin and a seemingly endless forest surounding him, he must find his way out of it in order to survive. Without his memories and nothing to his non existent name, its going to be a long trek. art by https://pixabay.com/users/comfreak-51581/
8 176 - In Serial70 Chapters
The Nerd that turned out to be Vampire-ish [Wattys2015]
For 17 years, Victoria thought she was human, until she met this nerd who flashed her a double-middle finger. Yes, her whole life drastically changed after that epic encounter. She ventured through different heights with one goal in mind, to seek answers. Slowly she discovered pieces that together would complete the puzzle she tried so hard to figure out - her life. In the end Victoria found out the secrets of her past, about her true identity, of who she really is and who she will become. © Copyright 2015 Vida Fernandez. All Rights Reserved.[UNEDITED VERSION]Aug. 30, 2015: #89 Highest Rank in VampireNov. 17, 2015: #3 in Vampire's "Hot" Completed SectionDec. 29, 2019: #9 in Wit Section
8 220

